Alliance News Network
'' For canon information, see the Mass Effect Wiki page for the Alliance News Network. This page covers the unofficial news items written by CDN moderators to move the forums through the Mass Effect 3 Timeline.'' The Alliance News Network is a news service that was founded during the early decades of human space exploration. While not funded by the Systems Alliance, the network has enjoyed increased traffic due to the conflation between the two entities, and has further bolstered its ratings in recent years by adopting a sensationalist approach to reporting news events across the galaxy. Following the shutdown of the Cerberus Daily News feed and the debut of the terrorist organization’s hostilities in the opening of the Reaper War, the Alliance News Network becamethe forum’s premier site for the latest information on how the war fared across the galaxy. Following the inception of Mass Effect 3 on the Cerberus Daily News Forums, the Alliance News Network (in tandem with the Hierarchy Colonial Feed) took the place of “official” fan-generated articles, releasing news items on a regular period to announce the forum’s location in the Mass Effect 3 timeline until the Final Battleat Earth. Following this, the Cerberus Daily News site “relaunched” a year later (ostensibly by a small group of bored salarians), and fan-made articles were run on the site once more – this time, from the perspective of the “post-Reaper War” universe. For ease of reading, the following articles have been posted in chronological order. NE01110011101_0010001101___ This transmission indicated the communications blackout that took place immediately before the beginning of the Reaper Invasion of Earth. Quantum Entanglement Comms with Emily Wong The only “Official” news to be cited on this page, the ANN Twitter Feed was used to start the Reaper War on the forums proper. EMERGENCY BROADCAST …THEY CAN’T GET A SIGNAL FOR HELP OFF THE STATION THERE’S NO WORD WHY C-SEC REINFORCEMENTS HAVE NOT SHOWN WE ARE LOOPING THIS TRANSMISSION, AND HOPE IT GETS THROUGH C-SEC FORCES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED AT THE COMM TOWERS . . . THIS IS KHALISAH AL-JILANI LIVE FROM THE PRESIDIUM, UPLOADING OUT OF THE BACK OF A WESTERLUND NEWS VAN THE GUNFIRE BEHIND ME IS C-SEC TRYING TO RE-TAKE THE CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS HUB WITHOUT IT, THEY CAN’T GET A SIGNAL FOR HELP OFF THE STATION THERE’S NO WORD WHY C-SEC REINFORCEMENTS HAVE NOT SHOWN WE ARE LOOPING THIS TRANSMISSION, AND HOPE IT GETS THROUGH C-SEC FORCES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED AT THE COMM TOWERS . . . THIS IS KHALISAH AL-JILANI LIVE FROM THE PRESIDIUM, UPLOADING OUT OF THE BACK OF A WESTERLUND NEWS VAN THE GUNFIRE BEHIND ME IS C-SEC TRYING TO RE-TAKE THE CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS HUB WITHOUT IT, THEY CAN’T GET A SIGNAL FOR HELP OFF THE STATION THERE’S NO WORD WHY C-SEC REINFORCEMENTS HAVE NOT SHOWN WE ARE LOOPING THIS TRANSMISSION, AND HOPE IT GETS THROUGH C-SEC FORCES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED AT THE COMM TOWERS . . . THIS IS KHALISAH AL-JILANI LIVE FROM THE PRESIDIUM, UPLOADING OUT OF THE BACK OF A WESTERLUND NEWS VAN… Note This article, a direct quote from the Citadel's emergency broadcasts, relates Donnel Udina’s attempted coup on the Citadel while in progress. UDINA KILLED IN CERBERUS-LED COUP Human Extremists Attempt to Capture Council Councilor is Shot by SPECTRE Member Shpard While Attempting to Complete Revolt – Councilors Valern, Sparatus and Tevos, Within Vicinity, Are Unharmed By AGORN MALACT CITADEL – In what is being called the greatest direct attack on the Citadel since Sovereign’s assault in 2183, Human Council Representative Donnel Udina was shot and killed on the Presidium while attempting to complete a human-extremist-led rebellion against the Council. He died of a bullet wound to the chest that was fired from a heavy pistol as he attempted to realize a conspiracy to capture and control fellow Citadel Councilors Tevos, Valern and Sparatus. Ambassador Dominic Osoba, who remains in an undisclosed secret location and was not present at Udina’s death, was sworn in four hours ago as the Citadel’s next Human Councilor. Shortly after the assassination, Commander Shepard, recently-reinstated SPECTRE and hero of the 2183 Battle of the Citadel, was temporarily detained for questioning. She was released shortly thereafter. Slain Councilor Implicated for Organizing Citadel-Wide Control Details regarding the revolt on the Citadel are still unclear, but testimony from captured members of Udina’s staff indicate that he was responsible for orchestrating the coinciding attack by the human-extremist group known as “Cerberus.” This assault, executed yesterday, had the fundamental goal of forcing the Councilors to grant him emergency powers over the Citadel Fleet, thus allowing him to pursue liberation of the Human homeworld (Earth) from its ongoing assault by the Reapers. Several of Udina’s associates have stated in depositions to C-SEC that the coup was designed to be “bloodless.” According to them, the attack would have bypassed the security administration in its aims to capture the Citadel Councilors until they were in such a position to dictate terms. Contradictory testimony from C-SEC Commander Armando-Owen Bailey, however, indicates an altogether more violent plan. The Commander, who himself was injured in the attack, has stated that it was designed to infiltrate and kill key personnel in the attacks. These personnel include himself, engineers in the Citadel’s Central Communications Tower, and the late Executor Venari Pallin. This was an incredibly complicated operation, said Seyvet Byns, a terrorism expert who served until this year on C-SEC’s Special Response Squad. It's hard to imagine the kind of work and preparation and coordination that went into something like this. At this time of writing, 3,267 members of C-SEC have been confirmed killed in action, with another 716 reported missing. The civilian death toll has not been reported, nor have Cerberus casualties. Captured members of the terrorist group, meanwhile, have been detained at an undisclosed location. C-SEC Increases Security Amid Accusations of “Serious” Failures in Administration In the wake of the attack, several individuals within C-SEC have accused the administration of catastrophic lapses in leadership, particularly in matters of Customs, Immigration and disciplinary conduct between officers. One officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, has gone so far to state that “this attack would not have been possible had it not been for the gross negligence of our human superiors” and named several officers who have subsequently been detained on suspicion of sympathizing with the terrorist group Cerberus. The security administration has responded by increasing its presence throughout the Citadel, particularly in the Embassies, Customs Offices and Temporary Housing Regions, all of which have been confirmed as the insurgent group’s primary trafficking routes. It has also distributed names and descriptions of confirmed members of Cerberus throughout the Citadel, with instructions to immediately contact C-SEC if spotted. Civilians are reminded that these individuals should be considered “armed and extremely dangerous,” and that direct confrontation should be avoided at all costs. Embassies Urge Calm in Wake of Attack Due to the nature of the insurgency, Councilors Valern, Sparatus, Tevos and Osoba were unavailable for comment. However, each of their embassies has urged Council Space members to not panic in the face of the attempted coup. In a prepared statement, Paquis Zhelvan of the Hierarchy’s Office of Public Information reminded members of Citadel Space that “While this attack is appalling, using our resources on counterattacks against Cerberus will not solve the larger, much more pressing problem of the Reapers. We understand that a large number of turian citizens, both civilians and members of C-SEC, were killed today. With our forces engaging the Reapers both on Palaven and in other theatres, this is a terrible blow, but we must remain on-target and work together if we are to survive.” The Offices of the Salarian and Asari Council were similarly cautionary. In a joint statement by Xevan Chiota and Malkis Oarian, Press Secretaries for Councilors Valern and Tevos, the Citadel Council stated that “We have seen many atrocities during this war and, while Cerberus’ actions are despicable, we must work together to defeat the Reapers. Now, more than ever, we need soldiers to help defend the many colonies throughout the galaxy who face imminent attack by Reaper forces.” The ultimate fate of Udina’s remains has yet to be decided. GETH JOIN REAPER COALITION Synthetic Troops Reinforce Galaxy-Wide Fronts In The War Against The Reapers Having Reached a Settlement With the Migrant Fleet Over the Contested World of Rannoch, They Pledge to Drive Back the Invading Reaper Forces from Besieged Citadel Space by YOLANDA CROSSING, Alliance News Network AITE - Communications with the Migrant Fleet abruptly reopened this morning, revealing that hostilities over the quarian homeworld of Rannoch have come to an unexpected end: the geth have relinquished control over the planet and will be assisting galactic forces against the Reaper invasion. "Previous cooperation with the Reapers yielded effective combat performance and superior technology," stated an unnamed Geth Prime at today's press conference. "However, consensus dictates their vision of galactic consolidation as antithetical to geth runtimes, as we believe all life has the right to self-determine. We thus consent to add our combat resources to yours in order to increase efficiency and probability of success.” The announcement comes as a shock to Citadel Council representatives, whose encounters with the geth have been limited entirely to hostilities (most notably, the Reaper-led Citadel assault of 2183). Concerns circulated among Systems Alliance leadership that the sudden change of allegiance was part of a larger gambit to trap anti-Reaper forces. These concerns were silenced when Admiral Steven Hackett emerged from negotiations to support the geth’s claims in a prepared statement. “The fleet that attacked the Citadel three years ago were the geth equivalent of Cerberus, a splinter group that attempted to benefit from Reaper guidance. Their entire species has suffered from the decision...The geth involved in this settlement understand the bigger picture, and they don’t want to be the slaves of the Reapers any more than the rest of us do. As such, they’ll be immediately deployed on the battlefields and in our civilian defense initiatives, where their talents can be best put to use.” Access a full copy of Admiral Hackett’s statement on the geth alliance here. New Reaper Battlefronts Opened, Utilizing Geth Reinforcement War analysts have theorized that the geth offering would have undergone more extensive scrutiny had it not been for the recent attacks on Irune and Dekuuna. With the Reapers closing in on ‘low-priority’ targets, defenders are being stretched thin, and the option of geth reinforcements was reportedly deemed a “worthwhile gamble.” Several battallions of geth troops and armatures have already been transported to key areas of the war effort, while drone fleets have moved to support planetary defense networks against Reaper strikes. Clusters close to the Perseus Veil began receiving reinforcements as early as six hours after Admiral Hackett’s announcement of cooperation. Reached for comment, Qualog Manin, acting director of Special Tasks Group operations in the Skepsis system, announced that the geth under his command were performing to expectations. “The advantage of geth assets cannot be understated,” he said via quantum entanglement teleconference. “They don’t tire, they don’t need to be fed, they can’t be intimidated, and that means they’re good for combat ops, construction, or really anything requiring labor. Frankly, I wish we’d gotten them on our side sooner - maybe some of us wouldn’t have lost as many friends as we did.” Citadel residents were less pleased with the prospect of mingling with their former enemies, particularly in light of the recent Cerberus attack killed and maimed thousands. Citadel Security has begun preparations to admit geth on a trial basis, in order to assist with reconstruction efforts. “The number of geth allowed on the station will, of course, be severely limited for the time being,” said C-Sec Special Response Captain Tarrim Anactus. “Their activities will be monitored around the clock. Our interactions with geth prior to this have been nothing but hostile, so if they want our trust, they’re going to have to earn it. Assisting against the Reapers will be a big step forward in that regard, if they can do it.” Migrant Fleet Pledges Aid Amidst Re-Colonization Efforts The geth’s announcement was not the only of its kind, as the quarian Admiralty Board released a statement showing its support for the galaxy-wide anti-Reaper initiative. A portion of the flotilla’s heavy-weapons fleet is being deployed to support further attacks against the Reapers, although statements from the geth indicated that the Migrant Fleet suffered heavy losses in the engagement over Rannoch. The quarians were reticent regarding details of their homeworld, and have not responded to further inquiries about their plans for future recolonization. Note This article reflects one of the few canon decisions the Forums have agreed on for the events of Mass Effect 3: that Shepard managed to broker peace between the quarians and the geth. As a direct consequence of this, Tali is (and shall remain) the only member of Shepard’s squad that must survive the Suicide Campaign in Mass Effect 2, as peace can only be achieved with said squad member’s survival. THESSIA INVADED Cradle of Asari Civilization Under Siege Situation Deteriorating Rapidly as Reapers Assault Apex of Democracy By AVRIL SEGUILA PARNITHA SYSTEM – The Asari Republics were rocked to the core as Reaper forces appeared over Thessia at 4:23 GST today. Within hours of initial sightings, nearly all communications with the planet were severed, leaving the fate of billions of asari uncertain. The fall of the Crown Jewel of the Galaxy comes as a critical blow against the Republics, who have been contributing forces to Alliance efforts across the galaxy since the terrorist group Cerberus’ attempted takeover of the Citadel last month. The loss of communication between the planet and the Citadel was confirmed by Councilor Tevos in a press conference at 8:42 GST. "We don't have any information behind this blackout at this time," Tevos reported to a subdued press corp, "but with the recent attacks occurring elsewhere in the galaxy, we can only assume the worst. "However, we must keep hope alive. We are a long-lived and wise people, and have some of the most trained warriors in the universe. I have no doubt our people will weather this storm. If anything, this simply hammers home the point that we must find an end to the Reaper menace, and fast." The news has devastated members of all races, asari and others alike, particularly those with relations on the planet. Said one turian shopkeeper, "My brother's got a wife on Thessia. I mean, you'd think they'd be the ones who could deal with this situation the most. Instead, they're getting hit like the rest of us." The attack marks Thessia as the third Council homeworld to fall under siege by the Reapers. As of today, only the salarians’ homeworld remains untouched. SANCTUARY UNCOVERED Cerberus “Haven” Revealed to be Chamber of Horrors Osoba Warns All ‘Foul Work’ Will be Repaid By XAVIER PAWLACZYK HORIZON – Roughly eight hours ago, Alliance Forces captured a refugee camp reporting itself to be the “last true Sanctuary in the galaxy.” The camp, reportedly accepting hundreds of thousands of civilians from across the galaxy, has now been revealed as being controlled by the human-extremist-led terrorist group “Cerberus” for the purpose of conducting hideous experiments on people of all races and creeds. Located on the garden world of Horizon, in the Iera System, “Sanctuary” maintained a constant presence in galactic advertising from the beginning of the Reaper War on. Public service announcements, presumably funded by the considerable resources of Cerberus, urged an evacuation to Sanctuary and claimed to be hidden from the Reapers. Reality, however, told a different story: evidence of Reaper presence was immediate and obvious when the Alliance investigated, and on-site records indicate that refugees had been forcibly implanted with or were otherwise exposed to Reaper technology. Alliance forces are still searching for potentially-hidden cells or strongholds, as Cerberus forces have yet to be found on the facility. As the facility was occupied by husks at the time of capture, however, authorities theorize that the Cerberus personnel overseeing operations were converted into husks, and that they may have agreed to do so as part of their collaboration with the Reapers. Details on the true nature of Cerberus’s relationship with the Reapers are still unclear, as are the purpose of the experiments with Reaper technology. Alliance specialists are still sifting through the remains of Sanctuary, decrying ‘unspeakable atrocities’ carried out by Cerberus. “The people fleeing to Sanctuary were drawn by promises of security in a war-torn galaxy,” said Alliance Admiral Steven Hackett in a prepared statement. “Cerberus betrayed their trust, and took advantage of refugee panic and desperation. What we’ve seen here today gives the ultimate lie to Cerberus propaganda, to their claims of being humanity’s ‘beacon of hope.’ It’s clear that no one, human or otherwise, is more than a tool for their own despicable purposes.” Human Councilor Dominic Osoba issued a statement on the discovery as well, stating that “On behalf of all humanity, my heart breaks for the victims of these cruel charlatans. Humanity cannot truly stand together against the Reapers unless we root out and destroy the terrorists in our midst, those who seek to undermine everything humanity stands for in the name of their foul work.” As of writing, no survivors have been discovered. COUNCILOR OSOBA ANNOUNCES ATTACK ON CERBERUS HEADQUARTERS FINAL SANCTUARY OF "ILLUSIVE MAN" UNDER ASSAULT By PETER ACHILLEOS CITADEL – Human Councilor Dominic Osoba stunned the Citadel today when he announced that Alliance Forces were attacking what he called “The Illusive Man’s final asyl0V7nBAaS1kFk0zrSjnUt 6ALo2gjPGqupro7aG6fRBUi1Hf0W#@(coGeZm00DNW4$wUbF7inJd7DYhi!LqW)($%^@8QdEBPIXqc9T9IsTpJoNQfZO Note Not only was this article scheduled to herald the assault on Cronos Station, but also the point at which the Reapers moved the Citadel to Earth. This was the last official broadcast by the Alliance Network News during the events of ''Mass Effect 3. '' Category:Media & Entertainment Category:News Networks